Tuesday April 16, 2013
Light and easy
By S.H.Loke
A ballerina has to be ‘light on her feet’, as Lee See Mone is for her role in Swan Lake. Nowadays people like to go easy on their food consumption by taking light meals. They prefer to buy “light cheese”, “light mayonnaise” and “light coconut milk” in order to check their calorie intake.
Other than seeing the word used on many food labels the word “light” has many other shades of meaning. Here are some which are commonly used:
1. Not dark
Light shades make your walls look brighter.
a. Daylight
The natural illumination of the day.
In England it gets light around 4am in summer.
2. Not heavy
The graceful ballerina is as light as a feather.
a. Light clothes
Thin clothes which are not very warm.
You only need a light jacket to wear in the evening.
3. Without much force
a. Wind - without much force
As we strolled along we enjoyed the light morning breeze.
b. Sound - very quiet
I heard a light tap on my door this morning.
c. Touch - gentle and soft
She planted a light kiss on her mother’s cheek.
4. Not difficult or severe
a. Not strenuous
She has light duties like sweeping and dusting.
b. Punishment which is not very severe
The confident trickster got away with a light sentence.
5. Small amount
a. Small in amount or less than expected
On Sundays, the traffic in town is lighter.
b. Someone who does not eat, drink or smoke very much.
Being a light eater, I could not finish the set meal.
c. Light touch
Relaxed and pleasant in style
She only wore a light touch of make-up.
6. Not very serious
On a lighter note / in a lighter vein
Used when introducing a joke or funny story when you have been speaking about something serious.
“On a lighter, let me tell you about how my I was rejected by my wife on our first date.”
a. Make light of
To joke about something which is serious or important.
He makes light of getting sacked, but he has a lot of bitterness inside him.
b. light-hearted
Happy and not worried about anything
Jim, who had been a light-hearted man, became a dour and moody man after his wife’s death.
Here are some specific examples of how the word “light” is used with certain words:
1. Be light on your feet
To be able to move quickly and gracefully.
The Olympic rhythmic gymnasts were all very light on their feet.
2. A light sleeper
Someone who wakes up easily if there is any noise
She is a light sleeper who wakes up a few times at night when she hears the slightest noise.
3. Light-headed
Unable to think clearly or move steadily during a fever or after drinking alcohol.
He was light-headed after a few glasses of brandy.
Source:
RSS
